I
was
overjoyed
to
receive
the
beautiful,
much
yearned-for
news
from
brother
Toni,
the
first
letter
I
received.
I
was
so
happy
to
learn
that
you
are
all
alive
and
reunited.
I
was
very
concerned
about
all
of
you.
Everybody
around
me
has
news
of
loved
ones,
except
for
me.
But
our
dear
Lord
has
given
you
the
gift
of
life.

Eva
Zentner of Palanka, Batschka
Yugoslavia
& husband Jakob Pilger
of Mutninikul Mari, Banat, about
1950, before they emigrated to the US.

I
have
very
sad
news.
Our
poor
dear
parents
have
both
passed
away.
But
they
are
now
safe
from
all
the
misery
and
don't
have
to
suffer
any
longer.
Our
father
died
on
December
8,
1944,
the
ninth
day
after
we
were
forced
to
leave
our
home.
Our
dear
mother
died
on
May
13,
1946.
She
endured
18
more
months,
and
it
was
her
daily
hope
and
prayer
to
return
home
and
see
all
her
children
again.
Unfortunately
her
wish
was
not
granted.
We
can
only
thank
God
that...(the
rest
of
the
sentence
was
censored).
After
Father
died
I
summoned
up
the
courage
to
ask
permission
to
bring
Mother
to
the
factory
where
I
work;
I
also
managed
to
bring
Traudi
Neni
along,
otherwise
they
would
have
been
taken
to
Jarek
to
die
of
starvation
along
with
thousands
of
people.
Father
and
Mother
are
buried
next
to
each
other.
I
was
able
to
get
a
good
wooden
box
for
Mother
from
the
factory.
I
have
been
working
in
the
hemp
factory
since
December
6,
1944.
It's
not
a
bad
place,
but
we
don't
get
a
heller
(penny)
or
a
rag
in
return.

Well,
dear
Christine
and
Rosi,
how
do
you
like
living
in
the
Reich?
Your
wish
has
been
fulfilled
and
I
hope
that
you
are
doing
well.
Please
write
to
me
and
tell
me
what
you
are
doing.
And
you,
dear
sister-in-law,
are
you
working?
And
dear
Stefi,
I
hope
you
are
working
in
your
trade
as
a
shoemaker.
I
am
very
lonely,
I
am
alone
and
forsaken
in
the
world
and
have
shed
many
tears
here.
I'm
the
only
one
in
our
large
family
who
is
alone,
but
I'm
consoled
by
the
fact
that
I
was
able
to
offer
our
mother
the
last
glass
of
water,
that
was
my
wish.
I
often
visit
the
grave.

There
used
to
be
many
people
in
the
camp
in
Pasicevo,
but
now
there
are
very
few.
In
the
beginning
there
were
96
people,
but
now
there
are
only
11
left.
The
only
Palankaers
left
are
Lemal
Tischler,
his
wife
and
her
mother,
Frau
Jerkovsky.
The
people
are
all
being
transported
to
Gakova.
Any
one
there
who
has
money
has
a
chance
to
escape
to
Austria.
If
I
knew
that
I
had
any
luck
I
would
try
it
myself.
Our
sister
Anna
sent
me
documents
for
going
to
America,
also
for
brother
Jakob.
She
wrote
that
once
we
are
there
she
wants
to
bring
the
whole
family
over.
What
a
joy
that
would
be
if
we
could
all
be
in
America
together.
I
don't
think
I
can
get
away
from
here
because
we
are
not
free.
We
are
in
a
camp
and
we
have
no
rights.
(The
following
sentence
was
censored)...we
knew.
We
didn't
know
what
was
going
to
happen
to
us.
And
so
we
had
to
leave
our
dear
home
with
empty
hands.
We
had
to
leave
the
house
within
ten
minutes.
Our
poor
parents
just
trembled
and
cried,
it
was
heartbreaking.

What
can
we
do
when
fate
strikes
us
so
hard?
Maybe
someday
a
sunbeam
will
break
through
the
clouds
for
us
and
lead
on
the
way
to
freedom.
I
have
already
spent
three
sad
Christmases
here
in
the
camp.
I
close
my
letter
with
many
regards
and
a
thousand
kisses.
Please
write
to
me,
also
you,
Christina
and
Rosi.
Farewell
until
a
joyful
Wiedersehen.
Good
night.....Eva

Note:
This
letter
was
sent
to
my
family
in
Germany
2˝
years
after
our
flight
from
Neusatz,
Batschka.
It
was
written
by
my
aunt
Eva
Zentner
of
Batschka
Palanka
from
the
forced
labour
camp
in
Pasicevo/Altker.
Most
of
her
letters
were
censored
so
badly
by
the
Communists
that
they
arrived
as
shreds
of
paper,
making
it
virtually
impossible
to
make
sense
of
them.
This
letter
was
the
only
one
my
parents
kept.
It
bears
the
stamp
of
the
Ősterreichische
Zensurstelle
S.Z.
(Austrian
Censorship
Office
S.Z.)
Eva
Zentner
(Pilger)
managed
to
escape
to
Austria
in
the
summer
of
1947
and
eventually
emigrated
to
Trenton,
NJ.